More than Just a Fire
by Caylen
Summary: What is going on with Hermione and Ron in the Gryffindor common room? And what are they going to do about it once it had happened? Set in their 5th year. Another absolute fluff. I am such a hypocrite, I HATE fluff! Grr...
1. That Night part 1

More than Just a Fire  
  
Chapter 1: That Night part 1  
  
Ron's POV  
  
"The fire is warm," I commented as we sat on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room, by the fire.  
  
"As fire usually is," Hermione said in a cynical tone.  
  
"Honestly Hermione, I was only making a comment, there's no need to respond like that," I told her.  
  
She shrugged and turned her attention back to the fire.  
  
"Why do you do that?" I asked.  
  
"Do what, exactly?" she asked me.  
  
"You always do that, whenever I'm around at least," I said, knowing I hadn't answered her question.  
  
"What?" She was starting to get annoyed with me, as usual.  
  
"Well, it isn't really important," I said.  
  
"Ron!" she yelled. "You brought it up! It's only polite to finish your thought."  
  
"And I'm supposed to be the greatest gentleman in all of England or something?" I asked.  
  
"Well, if you are supposed to, you're definitely not doing a great job of it," she said and turned away from me. She obviously didn't want to continue with this argument, which surprised me.  
  
"Fine, you win," I said.  
  
She faced me again with her 'of course I win, Ron' grin on her face. I hated that grin.  
  
"What you always do is argue with me. I just wanted to know why, is all." I said.  
  
"Me? Argue with you?" She got that look in her eye that told me I should have kept my mouth shut. "Ron Weasley, you think I argue with you?"  
  
I open my mouth to speak, but too late, she had begun.  
  
"As you may or may not want to recall, Ron, you are always the reason we argue. You always say something stupid or mean and I only answer back to that. You argue with me, I do not argue with you," she informed me.  
  
"But just now Hermione, a minute ago, all I said was that the fire was warm and you made your little comment resulting in this argument. I'm not claiming that I never start any of our arguments, just not this one," I informed her back.  
  
"It was a stupid thing to say," she said. "The fire is warm, of course it is, Ron."  
  
"But it wasn't bad," I told her.  
  
"Fine, I'm sorry," she muttered.  
  
"What was that?" I smiled.  
  
"You heard me." She narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Okay, you don't have to repeat it, but can I ask you one more question? And promise me you won't lecture me again," I said.  
  
"I was not lecture-" she stopped. "Go ahead."  
  
"How come we fight all the time when you never argue with Harry?" I asked honestly.  
  
She opened her mouth to talk but then took a deep breath instead.  
  
"Well?" I asked.  
  
"Because, you're…well, hmm…you're just…Ron, I guess," she said.  
  
"And you're Hermione," I said matter-of-factly. I had moved closer to her when I said that, and maybe too close I realized from the nervous look on Hermione's face. But for some unknown reason, I didn't move away.  
  
"Yes, I am," she said in a slow, almost shy voice. I'd never heard her talk like that before.  
  
And yet, I found myself talking in that same type of voice, "So, I'm Ron and you're Hermione." What a stupid thing to say! I was sure she'd yell at me for that.  
  
But she didn't. Instead, she moved even closer to me. Hermione's hair brushed against my face, that's how close we were. I know her hair is bushy and probably sticks out father than any other girl's, but that was still pretty close. She looked nervous and shy, and I didn't understand why. "Yeah," she finally broke the awkward silence. "I'm Ron and you're Hermione."  
  
I was about to inform her of her mistake, when she kissed me. My thoughts were somewhere along the lines of, 'AHHHHHHHHHHH! Bloody hell! Hermione just kissed me! What do I do?' But in that very long first second of that kiss, I couldn't find one intelligent thought in my mind telling me what in the universe to do. So I stopped thinking all together. That was the only way I'd have any chance of doing this right. And initially, the not thinking idea worked. At least, I thought it worked. But I couldn't think then, so I didn't really know.  
  
Anyway, now that I can think, here's how things went:  
  
Hermione kissed me. And after about one second, I kissed her back. I could tell she was relieved that I did because in the last milliseconds of that first second, she didn't pull away, but by the sudden tenseness in her soft lips, I'm guessing she feared that I would. I didn't. And with my mind on pause at that time, I know now that I mustn't have wanted to pull away, or else I probably would have.  
  
About 5 seconds of warm, small, 'hardly considered a kiss' kisses were exchanged between the two of us before things really began to start. Then, she ran her fingers through my hair and I felt like laughing. She had always told me that my best feature was my red hair, and I wondered what she was thinking while her hands went through it. I put my hands around her waist and pulled her body closer to me. Up until that point our faces were the only things even remotely near each other. She didn't resist me at all, just gladly moved as close as two could be. She began to open her mouth a little more as we kissed and she moaned in delight when I slid my tongue in it.  
  
My not thinking idea had only worked for about a half of a minute.  
  
I then realized that I was kissing Hermione Granger! And also that I was very much enjoying it! And I couldn't help but think to myself, while still kissing her deeply, 'Does this mean I actually like her as more than a friend?'  
  
  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
We sat in peace, watching the fire when he said, "The fire is warm."  
  
"As fire usually is," I told him. He has said the stupidest things at times.  
  
"Honestly Hermione, I was only making a comment, there's no need to respond like that," he quickly shot back.  
  
I just ignored his comment and brought my attention back to the fire. It was more interesting than Ron Weasley anyway.  
  
"Why do you do that?" he asked out of nowhere.  
  
"Do what, exactly?" I asked him first.  
  
"You always do that, or whenever I'm around at least," he said, still not answering my question.  
  
"What?" He really does get on my nerves sometimes.  
  
"Well, it isn't really important," he told me.  
  
"Ron!" I hollered. "You brought it up! It's only polite to finish your thought." He was so insensitive!  
  
"And I'm supposed to be the greatest gentleman in all of England or something?" he smirked. I hated that smirk.  
  
"Well, if you are supposed to, you're definitely not doing a great job of it," I told him. I can be so witty sometimes.  
  
"Fine, you win," he said.  
  
I smiled at him. He grimaced.  
  
Ron then informed me of what I always do, "What you always do is argue with me. I just wanted to know why, is all."  
  
"Me? Argue with you?" I couldn't believe he just said that. I couldn't help myself from repeating it, "Ron Weasley, you think I argue with you?"  
  
He was about to speak, but I ignore it and began to tell him what he needed to hear.  
  
"As you may or may not want to recall, Ron, you are always the reason we argue. You always say something stupid or mean and I only answer back to that. You argue with me, I do not argue with you." I thought that would do the trick. Honestly, I really am good with words sometimes.  
  
"But just now Hermione, a minute ago, all I said was that the fire was warm and you made your little comment resulting in this argument. I'm not claiming that I never start any of our arguments, just not this one." Unfortunately, he had a point.  
  
Still, I couldn't let him win, "It was a stupid thing to say, the fire is warm, of course it is, Ron."  
  
"But it wasn't bad," he said.  
  
"Fine, I'm sorry." What else could I say? He was actually right for a change.  
  
"What was that?" He grinned.  
  
I gave him a look that said, 'Do you want pain?' and actually voiced, "You heard me."  
  
"Okay, you don't have to repeat it, but can I ask you one more question? And promise me you won't lecture me again," he said.  
  
Good, the look had worked but did he just say that I was lecturing him? "I was not lecture-" I paused and figure that this wasn't a good time for an argument. "Go ahead."  
  
"How come we fight all the time when you never argue with Harry?" he asked me.  
  
Hmm…good question, Ron. Maybe it's because you're a stupid prat, or maybe it's because you always say the wrong thing at the wrong time, or maybe, just maybe, it's because I love you. I opened my mouth to talk but then I realized I couldn't tell him that. I closed my mouth quickly to cover it up.  
  
"Well?" he urged me to speak.  
  
"Because, you're…well, hmm…you're just…Ron, I guess." Yeah, a real witch with words, that's me, Hermione Granger.  
  
"And you're Hermione," he said stating the obvious, but compared to my previous statement it sounded intelligent.  
  
I hadn't realized it at first, but he moved closer to me when he said that, and it made me nervous to be that close to him. But, despite the horrified look on my face, Ron didn't back up.  
  
"Yes, I am." I wanted to kiss him so badly.  
  
Amazingly, Ron sounded as nervous as me when he said, "So, I'm Ron and you're Hermione."  
  
I couldn't help it, my emotions took over and I moved even closer to him. I wanted to grab him and kiss him even more badly at that moment. But I resisted, I must've looked petrified because that was how I felt. I couldn't kiss him because I was afraid he wouldn't return the favor. I had to say something before I did anything stupid, "Yeah, I'm Ron and you're Hermione."  
  
Although knowing I had just said something stupid, my emotions decided to do something even stupider. I kissed Ron Weasley. And he kissed me back.  
  
At first he hesitated, and I thought he might pull away, but he stayed. And we kissed.  
  
The best part of it all was when I decided to run my fingers through his thick, red, and oh so desirable hair. God, I had always wanted to do that. I heard him chuckle as I did. I had always told him that his best feature was his hair; he probably knew what I was thinking. But seriously, my one fetish is most definitely his hair. I love it so much, almost as much as I love the rest of him.  
  
Then, while me fingers were still entangled in his hair, he put his hands around my waist and put pressure of my back. I figured he wanted me to move closer, so I did. I was feeling so much at once, and without meaning to, I opened my mouth enough for him to put his tongue in. I wasn't expecting him to do that, and I accidentally let out a soft moan.  
  
And as much as I enjoyed all that was going on, I had to consider what was happening all so fast and all at once.  
  
Then it hit me, while his tongue was exploring my mouth, but I couldn't help but think, 'Does this mean Ron actually fancies me, or is he just kissing me because I kissed him first?' 


	2. That Night part 2

More than Just a Fire  
  
Chapter 1: That Night part 2  
  
A/N: Oh, I think I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters and never will (no matter how much I want Oliver Wood to myself). And now, on with the story:  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
'So maybe he doesn't like me,' I thought to myself. 'But right now I don't really give a damn.'  
  
So I kept kissing him. Even if he didn't like me, he was sure as hell satisfying me at the moment, so I decided to make the best of things. Ron never made any effort to stop, so why should I have? I may be considered the responsible one in most cases, but in matters of the heart, no one would expect me to be the way I am.  
  
Anyway, kissing Ron, him kissing me, running my hands through Ron's hair, him with his hands around my waist, well, I never wanted to stop. Unfortunately, someone didn't leave me much choice.  
  
That's when I heard that someone clearing their throat. I knew that that someone was most likely clearing their throat at us. You know, at Ron and I. Kissing. A lot.  
  
I stopped. I didn't open my eyes. I didn't move. Well, for a few seconds at least. Then I had to. I let go of Ron and slid slowly away from him. But I didn't look at him. Instead I turned my head and saw that someone. I turned white.  
  
It was Neville.  
  
'Well, at least it wasn't Harry,' I thought to myself and that thought helped me return to my normal color.  
  
"I just thought I should let you know," Neville said. "That it's late and we should all be getting to bed."  
  
I looked at Ron. He was bright red. What a surprise.  
  
"Er," I tried to think of something to say. "Thanks Neville."  
  
Neville shrugged and started to walk away.  
  
"Neville," Ron stopped him. "Do you think we could talk to you for a moment?" I gave Ron a confused and scared look.  
  
"Uh…" Neville said nervously. "Sure."  
  
"Good, come here," he motioned for Neville to come and sit between him and I.  
  
Neville sat nervously.  
  
I shot Ron another confused and scared look.  
  
"Neville, repeat after me," Ron instructed.  
  
I just watched.  
  
"What I just saw," Ron said.  
  
"What I just saw," Neville repeated.  
  
"Is something that I will never reveal to anyone EVER," he finished.  
  
"Is something that I will never reveal to anyone ever," Neville repeated.  
  
"Or else my toad Trevor will be history," Ron added quickly.  
  
Neville's eyes grew large.  
  
"Ron!" I yelled.  
  
"Fine, you don't need to repeat that, Neville, but know that it is true," Ron warned.  
  
"Ron!" I repeated.  
  
"What?" he asked innocently.  
  
"I won't tell," Neville promised.  
  
"Thank you Neville, you may go," I told him and he left very quickly.  
  
And then came the silence.  
  
Ron sat on the left of the sofa and I sat on the right.  
  
I'd never been in a more awkward situation in my life.  
  
Every once and awhile I'd look at him, and then as soon as he realized, I'd turn away. I couldn't bring myself to say anything. 'He didn't want anybody to know what happened,' I thought. 'That must mean he didn't want it to happen. He doesn't like me as I do him after all.'  
  
We sat in silence for a few minutes longer until Ron finally said my name, "Hermione."  
  
I look at him, but didn't say a word.  
  
"Hermione," he repeated.  
  
I waited.  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered.  
  
"For what?" I choked out.  
  
"Well, for this, I didn't mean for this to, well, it's my fault, Hermione," he rambled.  
  
"It's just as much my," I paused and then continued for lack of a better word, "fault as it is yours, Ron."  
  
"No Hermione, it's my fault for leading you on like that," Ron muttered, but I could hear him loud and clear.  
  
'He didn't want anybody to know what happened. That must mean he didn't want it to happen. He doesn't like me as I do him after all.' The words replayed in my head.  
  
"Leading me on?" I asked, hurt.  
  
Ron looked at his feet. "I'm sorry, Herm."  
  
"Don't be Ron," I forced a laugh. It sounded almost menacing, even though I didn't mean for it too. But I couldn't let him know I was upset. So I lied. "You have no need to be sorry. None at all. Did you really think that YOU led ME on? Ha! Ron Weasley, you make me laugh. Want to know why I kissed you? I got tricked into playing a little game with Lavender and Parvati earlier. They said that I'd never do anything daring in my entire life. In matters of the heart, at least. I had to prove them wrong. So they told me that if, out of nowhere, I kissed you, I'd win. And you'll vouch for me, won't you Ron? You'll tell them I won? You know, since it obviously meant nothing to you either."  
  
Ron looked surprised, but not at all upset. "Sure Hermione, I vouch for you. You won."  
  
I hadn't meant to be so mean and create such a lie. But he had just broken my heart, and I couldn't help it. He wasn't even upset.  
  
"Well then, now that that's settled, I'm going to get to bed. Goodnight Ron." I stood up and began walking towards the girl's dorm.  
  
"Wait," Ron said.  
  
I listened.  
  
"Why did you sit in silence here for so long if it meant nothing to you?" Ron asked.  
  
"I just wanted to see what you'd say, I guess. I'm sorry if I upset you at all," I walked up the stairs.  
  
"Right," I heard him whisper to himself.  
  
But I didn't turn around. I just kept walking confidently; he'd never know I was hurt at all.  
  
When I reached my room though, I closed the door quickly behind me, ran to my bed, threw my face into my pillow, and cried.  
  
  
  
Ron's POV  
  
I don't know why, but I kept kissing her. Even if I didn't like her, I did like kissing her. And she didn't make it evident that she wanted to stop. People expect this sort of thing from me anyway, so why shouldn't I live up to their expectations?  
  
Well, I guess because I don't want ever to hurt Hermione. But that thought hadn't crossed my mind yet.  
  
So we kept kissing. That is, until Neville interrupted us.  
  
'Well, at least it wasn't Harry,' I thought to myself.  
  
He cleared his throat. I knew that we shouldn't have been doing this in the first place, since I don't even like Hermione that way, but how rude! We obviously were busy.  
  
So we both stopped kissing and embarrassedly listened to what he had to say.  
  
"I just thought I should let you know," Neville said. "That it's late and we should all be getting to bed."  
  
I looked at Hermione. She was as white as a ghost.  
  
"Er, thanks Neville," she mumbled.  
  
Neville shrugged and started to walk away.  
  
"Neville," I said before he could leave. "Do you think we could talk to you for a moment?" Hermione looked at me uncomfortably.  
  
"Uh…" Neville said nervously. "Sure."  
  
"Good, come here," I said and Neville came and sat between Hermione and I.  
  
Neville sat nervously.  
  
She gave me another uncomfortable glare.  
  
"Neville, repeat after me," I said. "What I just saw."  
  
"What I just saw," Neville repeated.  
  
"Is something that I will never reveal to anyone EVER," I finished.  
  
"Is something that I will never reveal to anyone ever," Neville repeated.  
  
"Or else my toad Trevor will be history," I added with a grin.  
  
Neville's eyes grew large.  
  
"Ron!" she scolded.  
  
"Fine, you don't need to repeat that, Neville, but know that it is true," I said.  
  
"Ron!" she said again.  
  
"What?" I asked. But she just shook her head.  
  
"I won't tell," Neville promised.  
  
"Thank you Neville, you may go," Hermione told him and he left very quickly.  
  
So there were me and Hermione. On the couch. With no one else around. I had to say something to her. But I couldn't. I never could lie very well, and if I told her the truth, that I don't like her as more than a friend, then she'd be hurt. So I kept my mouth shut. For a little while at least.  
  
We sat there for a few minutes longer until I finally broke the silence, "Hermione," I said.  
  
She acknowledged that I had spoken with a nod.  
  
"Hermione," I repeated. "I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?" She asked quietly.  
  
"Well, for this, I didn't mean for this to, well, it's my fault, Hermione," I stuttered.  
  
"It's just as much my," she paused, "fault as it is yours, Ron."  
  
"No Hermione, it's my fault for leading you on like that," I practical whispered.  
  
"Leading me on?" Damn, she had heard me.  
  
I looked down. "I'm sorry, Herm."  
  
"Don't be Ron," She laughed in a mean manner. "You have no need to be sorry. None at all. Did you really think that YOU led ME on? Ha! Ron Weasley, you make me laugh. Want to know why I kissed you? I got tricked into playing a little game with Lavender and Parvati earlier. They said that I'd never do anything daring in my entire life. In matters of the heart, at least. I had to prove them wrong. So they told me that if, out of nowhere, I kissed you, I'd win. And you'll vouch for me, won't you Ron? You'll tell them I won? You know, since it obviously meant nothing to you either."  
  
Holy shit. That hurt. Ouch. That I hadn't expected. Hermione wasn't supposed to do things like that. She isn't the kind of person who makes men believe she wants them and then tells them the truth, leaving them unsatisfied. 'Unsatisfied? Ron, what do you mean unsatisfied?' I asked myself. 'Oh hell, I don't love Hermione do I? Oh fuck, I do, don't I? I thought I didn't even like her! What a time to discover this, Ron! Damn!'  
  
But I didn't say any of that of course. She had just told me that this was all a joke to her. I had to act as if it meant nothing to me. So I said, "Sure Hermione, I vouch for you. You won."  
  
She had just broken my newly found desire, and I couldn't help being upset. I just hoped that I hid it well enough.  
  
"Well then, now that that's settled, I'm going to get to bed. Goodnight Ron." She started walking to the girl's dorm.  
  
"Wait," I stopped her.  
  
She turned around.  
  
"Why did you sit in silence here for so long if it meant nothing to you?" I had to know.  
  
"I just wanted to see what you'd say, I guess. I'm sorry if I upset you at all," She walked away and this time I didn't stop her.  
  
"Right," I whispered to myself. She had upset me.  
  
I watched her close the dorm door behind her. But I just stayed on that couch. No one could know about what had just happened. I really hoped Neville would keep his mouth shut. I'd be humiliated if anyone found out that Hermione had used me. And it didn't help that I had just realized that I was in love with the girl who had just ripped out my heart.  
  
I sat on the sofa for just a bit longer, or at least it only seemed to be a bit. But when I looked up at the time, I realized that an entire hour had passed since Hermione had left me. I quickly ran up to the boy's dorm and laid on my bed silently, unable to sleep. 


	3. Watching Them

More than Just a Fire  
  
Chapter 1: Watching Them  
  
Harry's POV  
  
Breakfast was quieter than usual that morning. Ron and Hermione kept avoiding conversation. I began to wonder what happened between them this time. But then I remembered, 'This is Ron and Hermione, when aren't they in some stupid argument?' The only thing that struck me as strange was that neither Ron nor Hermione were complaining to me about each other as they usually did. And this is what happened when I later asked them about it:  
  
"Hey Neville, have you seen Ron or Hermione around? I wanted to talk to them," I said.  
  
"Me? Know anything remotely concerning Ron and Hermione? Why would you think that, Harry? I have absolutely no idea what they've been doing!" he said very defensively.  
  
"Neville, I just wondered if you knew where they were," I said.  
  
"Um, Ron's up in the room," he said, calming down.  
  
"Thanks," I said. That was weird.  
  
So then I walked up to the room.  
  
"Hey Ron," I said as I spotted him on his bed.  
  
"Oh hi Harry," he sat up.  
  
"How are you feeling?" I asked.  
  
"Fine I guess," he said vaguely.  
  
I figured he wouldn't just tell me what was wrong to begin with, but it was worth a shot. I then began my subtle way of finding the truth. "Nothing at all is wrong?" I asked.  
  
"No," he sighed and laid back down.  
  
"Nothing is wrong with, say, you and Hermione?" I continued.  
  
"No," he didn't move.  
  
"Come off it Ron, you know you can tell me," I reassured him.  
  
"Normally I would Harry, but there's nothing to say. There's nothing wrong between Hermione and I." Ron sat up as he said this.  
  
"But Ron…" I started.  
  
"Harry," he interrupted. "Why would I lie about this?"  
  
"Fine." I gave up even though I knew something wasn't right between them. I didn't feel like getting into an argument with Ron over this. After all, he can get very sensitive about the subject of Hermione sometimes.  
  
And besides, I just figured I'd talk to Hermione later. She'd tell me the truth.  
  
But this is what happened instead:  
  
"Honestly Harry, I have no idea what you're talking about," Hermione assured me. "Nothing is going on with Ron and I. We're fine."  
  
I had obviously been mistaken when I thought Hermione would tell me the truth. "But Hermione…" I started.  
  
"Harry," she interrupted. "Why would I lie about this?"  
  
I just shook my head. She and Ron were so alike sometimes. But I really couldn't figure out why they would lie about whatever this was. I just knew they were.  
  
"Whatever you say Hermione," I sighed.  
  
I also knew one thing for sure. I was going to find out why Ron and Hermione were act so strangely. It hurt to know that they were hiding something from me. I mean, we're supposed to be three best friends, right? I tried to forget about it, but I couldn't stop thinking, 'What could they be hiding anyway? And how bad could it be? It's probably nothing. I should stop worrying. But if it were nothing, why wouldn't they tell me? Oh god, I just wish they'd tell me what happened. But it's not my business, right? Or is it? I don't know. Well, no matter what it is, they are my best friends and they should tell me. And since they won't, I have a right to eavesdrop on them. Alright, I know I don't, but I will anyway.'  
  
And that's when I saw Ron try to sneak past Hermione while she did homework in the common room.  
  
I quickly hid in a corner, unable to be seen. I was positive that Hermione hadn't seen me come in earlier and Ron was paying too much attention to her to notice me. I just stayed silent and listened.  
  
"Ron, do you think I'm stupid?" Hermione asked. "I can see you."  
  
"Oh," Ron stopped tip-toeing and looked at her.  
  
"So," Hermione said.  
  
"Er," Ron stammered.  
  
"I just remembered that I have to go," Hermione said and quickly gathered up all my books.  
  
"Wait," Ron said.  
  
"Yes?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Um," Ron turned red. "I just wanted to, er, say, um, goodnight."  
  
"Yeah," Hermione played with her hair nervously. "Er, see you tomorrow."  
  
And then she left. And Ron left too.  
  
Then I was certain something was seriously wrong. And the position I was in was incredibly uncomfortable, so I went up stairs and went to sleep. I'd think about all of this in the morning. 


	4. No More Doubt

More than Just a Fire  
  
Chapter 4: No More Doubt  
  
Ron's POV  
  
I stared at her but she didn't even notice me. She was just too busy chatting with my little sister and laughing and having a too much of a grand old time to even notice little Ron Weasley. I needed to talk to someone about this. I thought about talking to Harry, since he already suspected something was wrong between Hermione and I, but I didn't want to tell anyone, not even him, about how Hermione had screwed me over. It was really quite embarrassing, that's probably what she was laughing with Ginny about.  
  
"Ron?" Ginny interrupted my thoughts. "Why are you staring at Hermione like that?"  
  
Hermione blushed and turned away at Ginny's comment and I just denied it. "Er, I wasn't staring at Hermione; I was just, um. I wasn't staring."  
  
"Right, Ron," she said and went back to talking to Hermione, but now a little more quietly.  
  
Hermione looked really uncomfortable with whatever Ginny was saying, so without thinking, (of course, do I ever think?) I went up to the two girls and said, "Hey Hermione, do you want to come visit Hagrid with me?"  
  
She looked at thankfully and then said, "Sure Ron," she picked up a book and stood up. "Is Harry coming?"  
  
Oh, Harry. Of course. "Um, I haven't seen him; do you think you could help me find him?" I asked.  
  
"I could find him for you!" Ginny squealed and before I could decline her offer, she had already jumped out of her seat and ran in the other direction.  
  
"Thanks Ron," Hermione sat back down.  
  
"No problem," I sat in Ginny's place. "You looked uncomfortable."  
  
"Yeah," she said. "So, are we going to see Hagrid?"  
  
"Well, I wasn't really planning on it, but if you want to." I began.  
  
"No, that's alright," she said. "I kind of wanted to talk to you about something."  
  
I swallowed. "Er, about what?"  
  
"You know what," she said. "And if we don't talk about it, we are going to feel awkward around each other forever."  
  
"I don't feel awkward," I lied and shifted in my seat.  
  
"Well, you have a funny way of showing it," she pointed out.  
  
"Oh," I said stupidly. "Well, do you want to go somewhere else without so many people?"  
  
"Sure, where?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I'm sure we can find an empty room somewhere around here," I reminded her.  
  
"Oh, right," she smiled. And it was a really great smile too.  
  
So we walked out of the common room and found a place not to far away to have some privacy to talk. It felt really weird trying to find an empty room for Hermione and I though. I had no idea what I was going to say to her.  
  
We went in the room and there was a single wooden table inside, with four wooden chairs surrounding it. I pulled out one on the chairs and sat down. Hermione sat in the chair next to mine and set the book she was holding down on the table.  
  
"Well, I guess since I instigated this little rendezvous, I should say something first," Hermione started.  
  
"I would Hermione," I said honestly. "But I haven't a clue what to say."  
  
"Honestly Ron," she looked at me and asked. "Did I upset you when I told you that I only, eh, did that do you because I was trying to prove Parvati and Lavender wrong?"  
  
"Well, I don't know, you, er, I guess." I tried to avoid saying yes, but instead sounded like a complete idiot.  
  
"Would it make you feel better if I told you that I had lied?" she asked and quickly broke eye contact with me.  
  
"You did?" I asked. "Why would you." I tried to ask, but was interrupted.  
  
"I didn't say I did. I just wanted to know if it would make you feel better. And when you give me a straight answer I'll tell you whether I really did or not." She said.  
  
I was getting pretty tired of pretending at that point, so I figured I might as well tell the truth. "Hermione," I said, gaining courage by the second. "If you did lie about that, I'd be very glad to know that you kissed me for a reason. But you really shouldn't have lied in the first place, because I kissed you for a reason too. I really like you, hell, I'm on a roll, I might as well tell you. I love you, Hermione. And if you weren't lying, well then, I'd feel like a bit of a fool, now wouldn't I?"  
  
Hermione grinned. I figured that was a good sign. "I lied Ron, I love you too."  
  
So I kissed her again. And she kissed me back again. But this time there was no doubt in our minds. Well, not in my mind at least.  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I could feel him staring at me. Not that I minded, but I was afraid Ginny would notice. She kept droning on about something that Harry had said to her earlier that day. I would pretend to laugh and say things like "Really?" or "I know!" every once in awhile to make her think I cared about what she had to say. But in reality all I could think about was Ron. And I was just about to gain the courage to turn around and look at him when I heard Ginny's conversation change to a different subject  
  
"Ron?" Ginny said. "Why are you staring at Hermione like that?"  
  
I turned bright red and turned around so he couldn't see me.  
  
"Er, I wasn't staring at Hermione; I was just, um. I wasn't staring." Ron stuttered like he always does when he's nervous.  
  
"Right, Ron," she said and turned back to me. "Hermione, is something going on with you and Ron? Because I think he has a crush on you. Do you like him?" she asked quietly.  
  
I didn't really answer her, I just kind of stuttered like Ron does. But I must've looked really uncomfortable, because Ron came up to us a few seconds later and said, "Hey Hermione, do you want to come visit Hagrid with me?"  
  
I looked at him thankfully and then said, "Sure Ron, Is Harry coming?" And I got up.  
  
He looked kind of disappointed when I mentioned Harry's name (as opposed to a very happy Ginny at least) and then said, "Um, I haven't seen him; do you think you could help me find him?"  
  
"I could find him for you!" Ginny squealed and before either of us could stop her, she had already left.  
  
"Thanks Ron," I said and sat back down  
  
"No problem," he sat down next to me. "You looked uncomfortable."  
  
"Yeah," I replied vaguely. "So, are we going to see Hagrid?"  
  
"Well, I wasn't really planning on it, but if you want to." he trailed off.  
  
"No, that's alright," I got the message. "I kind of wanted to talk to you about something."  
  
Now he looked uncomfortable. "Er, about what?"  
  
"You know what," I told him. "And if we don't talk about it, we are going to feel awkward around each other forever."  
  
"I don't feel awkward," He was evidently lying.  
  
"Well, you have a funny way of showing it," I pointed out.  
  
"Oh," he said with his cute little grin. "Well, do you want to go somewhere else without so many people?"  
  
"Sure, where?" I asked.  
  
"Well, I'm sure we can find an empty room somewhere around here," he said.  
  
'Duh, Hermione' I mentally slapped myself. 'You of all people should know that there are many places to go in Hogwarts. After all, how many times have you read Hogwarts, a History?' "Oh, right," I said mindlessly.  
  
We found a room not to far from the Gryffindor common room and settled there. We sat down in two of the four chairs around a small table in the middle of the room. After a moment of silence, I figured I might as well start talking.  
  
"Well, I guess since I instigated this little rendezvous, I should say something first," I said.  
  
"I would Hermione," he told me. "But I haven't a clue what to say."  
  
"Honestly Ron," I asked seriously. "Did I upset you when I told you that I only, eh, did that do you because I was trying to prove Parvati and Lavender wrong?"  
  
"Well, I don't know, you, er, I guess." Ron stuttered.  
  
I felt bad about making him nervous, so I asked, "Would it make you feel better if I told you that I had lied?"  
  
"You did? Why would you." He started.  
  
"I didn't say I did. I just wanted to know if it would make you feel better. And when you give me a straight answer I'll tell you whether I really did or not." I said quickly, before he could finish.  
  
Ron let out a sigh, and then straight out said, "Hermione, if you did lie about that, I'd be very glad to know that you kissed me for a reason. But you really shouldn't have lied in the first place, because I kissed you for a reason too. I really like you, hell, I'm on a roll, I might as well tell you. I love you, Hermione. And if you weren't lying, well then, I'd feel like a bit of a fool, now wouldn't I?"  
  
I couldn't keep from smiling. And Ron looked so hopeful. So I said, "I lied Ron, I love you too."  
  
And he kissed me. And it was great. And there was no trace of doubt in our minds. Well, I don't know about Ron's, but mine was free from it. 


End file.
